Every topic mapped to its exact reference in the current AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications -- not just the subject strand it belongs to.
Book a Free ConsultationEvery topic on the Year 11 GCSE Maths course is set nationally by the Department for Education, but AQA, Edexcel and OCR each number and organise that content differently in their own specification documents. AQA's 8300 uses six decimal-numbered sections; Edexcel's 1MA1 uses six flat headings with letter-based codes; OCR's J560 runs its own twelve-part structure. This page maps individual topics -- circle theorems, trigonometry, vectors and more -- to where each sits in each board's current document.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppAlmost every English secondary school teaches Year 11 Maths to one of three specifications: AQA's 8300, Pearson Edexcel's 1MA1, or OCR's J560. A smaller number use Eduqas/WJEC, which this page does not cover. The topics themselves are largely the same across all three, because the Department for Education sets the underlying content for GCSE Maths through its subject content document, and every board's specification has to meet it. What differs board to board is how that content is organised, split and labelled inside the specification PDF.
That distinction matters because most guides to Year 11 Maths topics describe the six subject strands -- Number, Algebra, and so on -- without naming a single specification reference from any board. A parent or student checking a worksheet, a scheme of work, or a past paper against the actual specification has no way to do it from that kind of list. This page exists to close that gap: for a handful of genuinely useful topics, it shows exactly where each one sits in AQA's, Edexcel's and OCR's own current documents, and it explains how each board's numbering system works so a family can look up any other topic themselves.
Knowing which board a child sits is the first practical step, and it is not always obvious from the outside. Course option forms, the school's exams office, or a past paper's front cover will name it directly; a scheme of work headed "AQA GCSE Maths" or a past paper stamped "1MA1" or "J560" settles the question immediately.
Before getting into how each board numbers its own document, it helps to know the shared starting point. Every Year 11 Maths topic sits under one of six broad areas: Number, Algebra, Ratio and proportion, Geometry and measures, Probability, and Statistics. All three boards build their specifications around this same six-strand shape, even though -- as the sections below show -- they number and split it differently. For what each strand actually contains topic by topic, our complete guide to GCSE Maths sets it out in full; this page picks up from there and focuses on where each topic sits inside each board's own numbering.
AQA's GCSE Mathematics specification (8300, Version 1.1, September 2026) organises its subject content into six numbered top-level sections, one per strand, each broken down into decimal-numbered sub-sections. Section 3.1, for example, is Number, and it splits further into 3.1.1 Structure and calculation, 3.1.2 Fractions, decimals and percentages, and 3.1.3 Measures and accuracy -- the specification's own heading structure, not a summary of it. The same pattern runs through all six sections, 3.1 to 3.6, one per strand.
Within each sub-section, AQA labels individual statements with a letter-plus-number code -- the same style of code used across all three boards for the underlying DfE content, which is why the same code sometimes reappears on a different board's document under a different section number. Solving quadratic equations by factorising, completing the square or the quadratic formula, for instance, is coded A18, sitting inside AQA's section 3.2.3. Circle theorems -- proving and applying results about angles, radii, tangents and chords -- are coded G10, inside section 3.4.1, "Properties and constructions", and flagged for Higher tier only.
In practice this means a worksheet or scheme of work referencing "AQA 3.2.3" or "code A18" is pointing at a specific, checkable location in the specification PDF, not a loose topic label. The full document is published at AQA's own specification PDF. For grade boundaries, paper structure and AO weightings on this specification, see our AQA GCSE Maths page -- this page sticks to where a topic sits, not how it is marked.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppPearson Edexcel's specification is 1MA1, and the live edition Pearson serves from its own qualifications site is Issue 2, dated June 2015 -- an older-dated document than AQA's or OCR's most recent revisions, but the current one in force. Rather than AQA's nested decimal sections, 1MA1 groups its content under six named headings -- Number, Algebra, Ratio, proportion and rates of change, Geometry and measures, Probability, Statistics -- and labels each individual statement with the same style of DfE reference code AQA uses, but without a decimal section number attached. Ordering positive and negative integers, decimals and fractions, for instance, is labelled N1 directly under the "Number" heading, with no further sub-section to navigate.
The same circle-theorems content AQA codes G10 carries the identical code, G10, in Edexcel's specification -- but it sits directly under the flat heading "4 Geometry and measures", with no decimal sub-section equivalent to AQA's 3.4.1. The content and the code match; the surrounding structure does not. That is a genuinely useful thing to know before assuming a topic reference from one board's materials will translate directly onto another board's specification: the code can carry over even when the section it sits in does not.
Edexcel's full specification is published as Pearson's own specification PDF. Our Edexcel GCSE Maths page covers grade boundaries, AO weightings and progression for this board in full.
OCR's specification, J560, is the current one at Version 2.1 -- its own PDF's copyright line reads "Version 2.1 © Cambridge OCR 2026", reflecting OCR's rebrand as Cambridge OCR. The specification itself is unaffected by the name change: it is still J560, and our OCR GCSE Maths page covers what the rebrand does and does not change for grade boundaries and entry.
OCR's own numbering is the most different of the three. Rather than AQA's six sections or Edexcel's six flat headings, J560 runs a twelve-part content structure -- content area 1, "Number Operations and Integers", through to content area 12, "Statistics" -- with its own lettered decimal sub-references, such as 1.01a for the first sub-point under area 1. Where AQA and Edexcel each use a single letter-plus-number code per statement, OCR cross-references that same shared code in a separate column alongside its own sub-reference, rather than using it as the primary label.
Three worked examples show how differently OCR splits the same content. Circle theorems sit at references 8.05a through 8.05h, under "Circles" inside content area 8, "Basic Geometry" -- eight separate sub-references where AQA and Edexcel each use one code, G10. Pythagoras' theorem and right-angled trigonometry sit at 10.05a and 10.05b, inside content area 10, "Mensuration", cross-referenced in OCR's own document to the shared code G20. Vector arithmetic and geometry sit at 9.03a and 9.03b, inside content area 9, "Congruence and Similarity", cross-referenced to the shared code G25.
OCR's specification is published at OCR's own specification PDF.
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The clearest way to see how differently the three boards organise identical content is to line up the same topic across all three specifications side by side. The table below does that for three topics: circle theorems, Pythagoras' theorem and right-angled trigonometry, and vectors.
| Topic | AQA (8300) | Edexcel (1MA1) | OCR (J560) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circle theorems | G10, section 3.4.1 "Properties and constructions" (Higher tier only) | G10, under the flat heading "4 Geometry and measures" (no decimal section) | 8.05a-8.05h, content area 8 "Basic Geometry" ("Circles") |
| Pythagoras' theorem and right-angled trigonometry | Shared code G20, per OCR's own cross-reference column (see note) | Shared code G20, per OCR's own cross-reference column (see note) | 10.05a-10.05b, content area 10 "Mensuration" -- OCR's own primary reference, cross-referenced in its document to code G20 |
| Vectors | Shared code G25, per OCR's own cross-reference column (see note) | Shared code G25, per OCR's own cross-reference column (see note) | 9.03a-9.03b, content area 9 "Congruence and Similarity" -- OCR's own primary reference, cross-referenced in its document to code G25 |
Note on rows 2 and 3: the circle-theorems row is independently confirmed from all three boards' own specification PDFs, each read directly. For Pythagoras/trigonometry and vectors, this page independently confirms OCR's own reference (10.05a-10.05b and 9.03a-9.03b) and the shared code OCR's own document cross-references them to; it has not independently located AQA's and Edexcel's own decimal section numbers for those two topics inside their own PDFs, and does not claim to.
Circle theorems is the fullest worked example, independently confirmed on all three boards: AQA nests its code, G10, inside a numbered decimal section, 3.4.1; Edexcel uses the identical code, G10, but drops the decimal section entirely in favour of a flat heading; OCR abandons the shared code as its primary reference altogether, splitting the same content across eight of its own lettered sub-references, 8.05a to 8.05h. One piece of content, one shared code between two boards, three different ways of locating it in the document.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppSeveral guides to this topic state flatly that GCSE Maths content is identical across boards and leave it there. The honest answer, checked against the specifications themselves rather than asserted, is more precise: the underlying content is largely shared because the Department for Education sets it nationally, but "largely shared" is not the same as "organised identically" -- and a parent trying to locate a topic in a scheme of work needs the organisation, not just the content.
Circle theorems make the point concretely. AQA and Edexcel both code the content G10, which is real evidence the underlying statement is shared. But AQA nests G10 inside a numbered decimal section, 3.4.1, alongside a Higher-tier-only flag; Edexcel drops the decimal section altogether, listing G10 directly under the flat heading "4 Geometry and measures" with no equivalent to AQA's 3.4.1. OCR does not use G10 as a primary reference at all -- the same content is split across eight of its own lettered sub-references, 8.05a to 8.05h, inside content area 8. Same content, one shared code between two boards, three entirely different ways of locating it in the document.
Some content is genuinely Higher-tier-only. AQA's own specification flags circle theorems, coded G10 at section 3.4.1, as Higher tier only -- students entered for Foundation tier are not assessed on it at all. That is a structural fact about the specification itself, confirmed directly in AQA's own document, not a grade-boundary question.
This page focuses on where a topic sits, not on which tier, paper or grade it is assessed at -- that is a different question with its own answer per board, and our GCSE Maths subject page and the three board-specific pages linked above cover tier structure, AO weightings and grade boundaries in full. Worth knowing before relying on either page: a topic being coded and referenced the same way across two boards, as circle theorems are between AQA and Edexcel, does not guarantee it sits at the same tier on both -- always check the specific board's own tier flag rather than assuming it carries over.
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Book a Free Consultation Message us on WhatsAppA specification reference is only useful if it changes what a parent, student or tutor actually does with it. Three practical uses cover most of what comes up:
Checking a worksheet or scheme of work against the real document. A school's own scheme of work or a third-party worksheet pack will often cite a code like "AQA A18" or "OCR 8.05a" in its heading. Looking that reference up directly in the board's own specification PDF confirms exactly what is and is not covered, rather than trusting the worksheet's own summary of it.
Cross-checking a past paper question against the specification. When a past paper question does not obviously match anything a student has covered, checking which reference code it falls under -- by comparing the question's content against the specification's own wording -- settles whether the gap is a genuine one or a difference in how a topic was taught versus how the specification describes it.
Confirming tier and board before assuming a topic applies. As the previous section shows, the same content can be Higher-tier-only on one board's document and organised differently on another's. A reference number pins down not just the topic but which tier and which board's document it belongs to, which a generic topic list cannot do.
What a section number is not useful for: revising the topic itself. The specification states what must be taught and assessed; it does not explain the mathematics or work through examples. For that, a scheme of work, a textbook or a tutor working from the specification is still the practical route -- the reference number is what lets any of those three be checked against the primary document rather than trusted on faith.
Year 11 Maths covers six broad areas shared across every English exam board: Number, Algebra, Ratio and proportion, Geometry and measures, Probability, and Statistics. What each board's own specification adds is how that content is split, numbered and labelled -- AQA (8300), Edexcel (1MA1) and OCR (J560) each organise the same six strands differently, which is what this page maps out topic by topic. For what each strand actually contains, our complete guide to GCSE Maths sets it out topic by topic.
Largely, but not identically, and the difference is more than semantic. The underlying content is set nationally by the Department for Education, so AQA, Edexcel and OCR teach substantially the same mathematics. But how that content is organised differs: AQA and Edexcel both code circle theorems G10, for instance, yet AQA nests that code inside a numbered decimal section (3.4.1) while Edexcel lists it under a flat heading with no decimal section at all. OCR does not use G10 as a primary reference at all, splitting the same content across eight of its own lettered sub-references. The content overlaps heavily; the document structure does not.
On AQA's specification (8300), circle theorems -- coded G10, at section 3.4.1 -- are flagged explicitly as Higher tier only, meaning Foundation-tier students are not assessed on this content at all. That flag is stated directly in AQA's own specification document. A parent checking whether a specific topic is Foundation or Higher should check the relevant board's own tier flag rather than assume it, since the same content being coded identically across two boards does not guarantee an identical tier assignment on both.
A topic list is a summary written by someone other than the exam board -- a revision site, a tutoring company, or a school's own handout -- describing broadly what a course covers. A specification is the exam board's own legal document defining exactly what must be taught and assessed, down to individual statements with their own reference codes. A topic list is a useful starting point; a specification reference is what lets a parent or tutor check a specific claim against the primary source rather than trust a summary of it.
Yes, and the difference goes beyond numbering style. AQA (8300) organises its specification into six decimal-numbered sections, 3.1 to 3.6, with individual statements coded by letter and number, such as A18 or G10. OCR (J560) instead uses a twelve-part content structure, content areas 1 to 12, with its own lettered decimal sub-references such as 1.01a or 8.05a, and cross-references the AQA/Edexcel-style shared code in a separate column rather than using it as the primary label. A code from one board's materials, such as G10, will not locate anything directly in OCR's document without translating it first.
As of this research, AQA's live edition of 8300 is Version 1.1, dated September 2026; Edexcel's 1MA1 is at Issue 2, dated June 2015, still the version Pearson serves from its own qualifications site; and OCR's J560 is at Version 2.1, dated 2026, published under OCR's Cambridge OCR branding. A specification code alone does not confirm which edition a document is -- AQA and OCR have both issued more than one edition under the same code over time, so checking the version or issue number on the PDF itself is the only way to be certain a document is current.
AQA, Edexcel and OCR are the three most widely used GCSE Maths boards in England; a smaller number of schools use Eduqas/WJEC. The board is usually printed on the front cover of any past paper the school has issued, named in the school's own scheme of work or options booklet, or confirmed directly by the maths department or exams office -- none of these should need guessing, since every board's assessment is different enough that revising from the wrong one wastes time.
Our GCSE maths tutors plan every session against your child's actual AQA, Edexcel or OCR specification -- the same reference codes and section numbers this page maps out -- so preparation time goes on what the exam board will genuinely test.
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